Many of region's children struggle for enough food

Alvaro Gonzalez unloads his truck Thursday at High Plains Food Bank after making deliveries. Gonzalez makes the deliveries in the outlying communities and says that everywhere he has been going for his deliveries he has been seeing more and more people coming in for help.

More than 33,000 children in the Texas Panhandle faced going to bed hungry some nights in 2009, according to a recent study by Feeding America.

The study, titled “Map the Meal Gap 2011,” found 27 percent of Panhandle children ages 18 and younger lived in households that experienced “difficulty meeting basic food needs” at times throughout 2009.

More than 20 percent of people in Hall and Childress counties, including children and adults, lacked food at some point in 2009, well above the state average of about 17 percent, said Zack Wilson, executive director of High Plains Food Bank.

In Potter County, 22,070 people — or more than 18 percent — of county residents had difficulty finding enough food during the period surveyed. In Randall County, 14,880 people — or 13.2 percent — faced food shortages.

The study’s findings are significant because they provide new perspective on hunger in the Texas Panhandle, Wilson said.

“We have really got some families and people that are suffering and need help, and this really is a sort of a way of quantifying the need that’s been going on in a way that we haven’t seen before,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the study gives a better estimate of hunger than simply looking at poverty levels because people well above the poverty level in the U.S. can still have a hard time getting adequate nutrition.

“It really hits home as to what’s going on these days in our service area with what we’ve seen,” he said.

The High Plains Food Bank serves 29 counties in the Texas Panhandle.

The findings come with an increased demand for food bank services from across the area. In July, the food bank delivered 796,000 pounds of food around the region, its largest distribution since the organization started in 1982, Wilson said. The organization distributes about 600,000 pounds monthly on average, communications director Broc Carter said.

“We have been making a big push for support, not only (for) food, but monetarily, and we’ve seen an increase in monetary donations, which definitely helps with our distribution costs and accessing food when we need it. Our food donations, though, have been down overall for the year,” Wilson said.

He said the food bank is running low on protein-based food items like canned meat, beans and peanut butter. The food bank also needs more canned vegetables, particularly canned green beans and peas, as well as dry goods like shelf-stable boxed dinners. Wilson said the bank distributes food to about 180 agencies in the Texas Panhandle.

“We need to really keep the food … coming,” Wilson said. “If we have the food we can send it out and our agencies can accept it as well.”

Maverick Boys and Girls Club of Amarillo, a 77-year-old organization that provides after-school activities and a meal for area elementary and junior high kids, is also seeing growing numbers of children showing up this year, Executive Director Vic Allcorn said. He said about 150 children participated in the program by the end of the school year in May. At the beginning of this school year, he is seeing 160 to 170 kids arrive daily.

An organization called Kids Cafe partnered with the Maverick Club about two years ago to provide the meals, Allcorn said.

“About 85 percent of our kids fall into the category of receiving free lunch or reduced lunch at school,” he said. “For us to provide that meal for the kids is huge for us because we know that they’re going to get a hot, nutritious meal before they go to bed when they go home.”

He said the increase may stem from the struggling economy.

“This economy is really impacting the kids’ families. It kind of trickles down and they’re at the bottom of where it trickles,” he said.

Allcorn said the club is “doing OK” financially and depends on private donors and grants, including help from the United Way and individuals, to stay afloat. The Maverick Club provides three meals daily during the summer and provides fitness activities and academic programs after school. With more funding, he said, the club might also provide meals over the weekends.

But first the club must help the youngsters it already has.

“With the number of kids increasing, we have to find additional places of funding to stretch our capacity and serve them,” he said.

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I am sure there are hungry children in the Panhandle. However, if the figure of 33,000 is used, it would be useful to know how many children in the Panhandle live within the region? This is the only way I can make a comparison between the two figures: 33,000 and what?
I always went to the web to check out Feeding America.
Feeding American began in Phoenix, AZ, when a retired businessman was working a soup kitchen. The concept of Feeding America eventually became Second Harvest and changed to the new name in 2008.
Feeding America serves food banks around the Nation.
Now that I have some of the history of Feeding America and have this story, what am I do to with it?

The total population of children (birth- 18) in the 29 counties covered by the High Plains Food Bank, is 124, 127. That's where the 1 in 4 number comes from. Thanks for the great questions. -- Broc Carter, Director of Communications, HPFB

It really bothers me that we have so many in our country who go hungry everyday and all the politicians can think of is sending more and more of our tax dollars to the poor, "poverty stricken" countries around the world just to make themselves look good. Well, to me, they don't and those countries just take and take and laugh all the way to the bank and their people stay hungry.

After channel 10 ran the story about some children going hungry all weekend - some folks from around here began make snack bags and handing them out on Fridays as the children walked home - We were told that we needed written permission from the parents to do that.
Since the parents are the issue - we stopped.

This summer a small group of people took sack lunches to the local swimming pools to feed the children each day. They were told to stop feeding those children, it was against city ordinance .

United, Wal-Mart and 100s of others cannot give food away anymore because of health reasons, they must give it to a certified food savage place. Some stores are known to illeagally place food beside the dumpster(instead of in it) so people can come and get it instead of giving it away as it should be.

I love the Food Bank! I love Church ! And I love helping people every day ! But when cities, counties and states tie the hands of the people WILLING to help so that these people must be more dependent of Government Welfare programs - I get angry ! Are you angry !

It's amazing to me that families right here in Amarillo are struggling for food, a place to sleep, losing their jobs or homes, cannot afford healthcare, the elderly having no fans for cooling, and having to ration their medications, and our mayor and city leaders are going to raise our taxes to pay for downtown revamping !!!!!!! Where is the logic to that?

Food Bank Smood bank! Everybody likes to donate to the food bank..... but nobody seems concerned with the fact that you buy groceries and donate to them and they turnaround and sell it! They DO NOT give it away. That food is being paid for twice. People like to think that the food bank drives around handing out the food to people that need it and that simply is not the case! Donate food to organizations that are feeding people! If you donate it to the food bank they charge the organizations that are feeding people!!! All that does is make it more expensive for the people actually doing the work!! They can call it non-profit if they want but there i definitely a profit being made!

I am sorry , your wrong! the food from our great food bank is not charged for. They charge a simple transportation fee by the pound for deliver. I would politely suggest you do your research before claiming such things. They have a staff, regulations, truck driver, trucks and fuel cost, the same charge 16 cents per pound is added for processing and delivery. Then people like me , provide the food to the public so they can eat. As i suggest there are 1000s of unneeded, undesirable regulation that force people like me and the food bank to re-coop those cost somewhere. Oh, did I mention they work hand in hand with the Amarillo Area Foundation with grants and donation so, if you cannot possibly pay the SMALL fee , then some other non-profit will. Please check your facts . Decrease the state and federal regulations on us and maybe things would change !

I agree with you , however, could the powers that be understand that they cannot change human nature ? That these same people will go to the games, will buy cell phones and will let others like me and the food bank feed their children all as a part of this great big socialistic party government has created ? Could it be navybean, that in fact there are 100s of agencies, 100s of churches who all have food pantries with food bank food yet these same ethnic people are to prideful to come and get it ? As I said I agree with the money and downtown but .........

Hunger has gone from a basis necessity and a priority to a political and bureaucratic hot potato.

Food, Clothing, Shelter, Medical Care and Education are the 5 basic needs and responsibilities of parents. These have been delegated to others. Frankly, there is no shortage of these items. The problem is in the delivery.

Hear that? When it is free it has no value...until it is taken away and then it becomes an entitlement.

Mom and grandma made a pot of stew and everybody ate, the women, the kids, everyone in the family. The family was careful not to eat it all because when dad and grandpa got home from work they needed something to eat. The stock had ingredients added all day.

Now some neighbors weren't so fortunate and rather than sending the kids to bed hungry and the men at work not getting a meal they brought what they had and added to the pot and whatever was left to eat was of course, pot luck.

Rather than sharing our meal, our home, our clothes, medical care and our knowledge, we are compelled to share our money...nothing more and nothing less...our money...call it taxes or forced charity, just don't call it a gift.

I'm all for helping people but I'd rather it be well regulated Government and non-profit organizations doing the helping than some of these churches. Many of them are there for one reason, and it isn't to feed the poor. Yes you can cry Socialism all you want and how it is just going to create a bunch of free loaders (apparently it's only evil when it's not helping you) but is it any different relying on the Government then wanting people to rely on the Church.

Let's stop trying to help kids, since a few of their moms have cell phones. Great Republican logic to that. "The poor will always be with us... yada, yada." I am surprised that someone hasn't already complained about the free or reduced-price school lunches. Thank God that AISD, City Church, and the summer park-snacks programs show some compassion. These are KIDS... They can't control what their parents do.

I said " Then people like me , provide the food to the public so they can eat. As i suggest there are 1000s of unneeded, undesirable regulation that force people like me and the food bank to re-coop those cost somewhere. Oh, did I mention they work hand in hand with the Amarillo Area Foundation with grants and donation so, if you cannot possibly pay the SMALL fee , then some other non-profit will "

Then I added later - " Could it be navybean, that in fact there are 100s of agencies, 100s of churches who all have food pantries with food bank food yet these same ethnic people are to prideful to come and get it ? "

Illiterates !

YES I left out Government ! I despise Government ! What about it ? Socialism is a failure !

...that you are now... or will in the future... REFUSE your Social Security check, Medicare assistance, fire department help, etc. and that you will stay out of the 'socialistic' city parks. I wonder why GE, the oil companies, etc. seem to LOVE those government hand-outs? Aren't they supposed to hate the government like you hate it?

You guys are truly a$$holes. Look at yourselves, trying so hard to prove some inane point about anything and everything.
I think you just like to argue; it's not like these comments make a difference or anything. You guys act like you matter. lol

Having so many agencies and even CNN discussing the hungry children of America sounds quite sad. A lady commented that she didn't know what to do when her food stamps ran out.
I could not help but wonder if she compared prices when shopping,if she tried to leave out the junk food, and if she had lost her job or that was a way of life for her.

I worked or the Human Resources way back in 1974 and food stamp recipients come in all colors and ethnic groups but at least those government agencies had criteria. Some agencies just pass out the food. My concern is the lesson being taught to the children, that everything comes free.

Would you take a phone out of the house of these people, no of course not. For some of them that's the only way to communicate with the world. Now I would agree with you if it was a smart phone because they are very expensive to maintain. I have a plain cell phone, the only thing that I can do besides talk is to text and that is only $5 per month.

I cannot help but wonder the same things ? I cannot help but wonder what do they do with all their money ? But then, many do not care how many children starve to death while fraud , waste and greed continue to eat at the soft under belly of this nation. I was ask yesterday how many people do I think CANNOT work and how many do I believe WILL NOT work. Only Gods knows for sure but I know what i believe because I see it with my own eyes ! People paying cash for DVDs while paying for food with food stamps. People paying cash for cell phones while buying food with food stamps , all in the same line at Walmart. Arguing over what IS and is not covered by WIC or food stamps ? Yes, yes it is a vicious cycle with no end till someone makes an HONEST stand against it. And that stand does not mean starve the children - it means change the policy ! period !

how many of these kids are running around with an iphone in $100 sneakers drinking a super big gulp eating a big mac?

while helping the needy ,we must also watch encouraging the bad behavior that tends to lend itself to these issues.

we need to get people to focus on the priorities in life, and the newest android with unlimited text/internet is not it. that $125/month could fix a lot of meals at the house,just as could not having one 6pack of beer a week or cutting out one coke a day.

instead of frozen dinners cook from scratch, and how many families in this position that have the room have gardens?

one last question, how many are illegally that should not be here in the first place, and how many citizens are going hungry because illegally are taking jobs from their parents

Now , see this we can talk about ! ;-) I agree 100% ! I do not want to take any one's phone. But when you see a mom, with 3 kids and all 3 kids are texting on a Smart Phone while I still you a phone just like yours , what am I to think ? When that same mom buys beer and cigarettes with cash and passes a Star card for food, what am I to think ? Am I to ignore this ABUSE ? See we can talk about that - about Yukons and Escalates sitting in front of Rent-a -Center while ordering a 52" Flat Screen for Football season, then buying the snacks with food stamps. None of this feeds hungry children. None of this solves the hunger problem. That we can talk about. But when you slam the Food bank, when you slam churches, and when you slam the local food pantries , like us, for trying to do nothing but fee the children, shame on your a---. Not to mention that you drive by every HUD house or Apartment complex and you see not one but 3-4-5-6-7 Dish Dishes on the side of the place? We will see who will defend their right to have 400 channels on Dish now , daisy?

I will not ever let a child go hungry because of a lazy parent, although I have no problem letting that lazy parent go hungry. None of this will change till more people teach their children about personal responsibilities, choices and respect for themselves and others. We have to start teaching that to children again or this will be a never ending cycle.

I would love to see how this "study" came up with these numbers. If they asked the kids, mine might have answered yes because they went to bed hungry since they didn't eat enough dinner, and I wouldn't let them eat junk food. Does that mean my kids are eligible for free food?

Does anyone really believe 1 in 4 Panhandle kids were starving last year? Seriously, 1...2...3...hungry...1...2...3...hungry... This reminds me of those stats that show 1 in 5 Americans are disabled.

kuntry has some good points. Many of these kids who are hungry don't have food because their parents would rather sell their "food stamps" for 50 cents on the dollar so they can buy booze and smokes. Too many of these food banks enable the parents to do that very thing.

No one wants to see a hungry kid, but our system is broke. It rewards the lazy more than it helps the needy. I say we cut off welfare and open up some new orphanages to feed kids whose parent's aren't feeding them. Orphanages would probably cost a tenth of what welfare is costing us today. And before anyone whines that orphanages are bad for kids, you better be able to explain how living in a home where the parents don't care to feed the kids is any better.

5 years ago I broke my wrist and could not work (I have a very physical job), because of surgery the year before I did not have any sick time built or short term disability. At that point I had to have some real help. I had to get food stamps, so getting food was not a problem, the problem was coming up with money for toilet paper, paper towels (I stopped using them and used dish towels) and that type of thing. In some instances food stamps are used to eat, I also could not cook anything from scratch because of my disability. So I had to get some convenience food because of it. That is the correct use of food stamps. I so agree though on the beer, cigarettes and smartphones. If a person can afford those they don't need food stamps

It seems there are a lot of impoverished people in the panhandle and in our country. Perhaps it is time for the Obama's to take another vacation, at tax payers expenice, instead of investing that money in programs that will help feed America's needy.

Before you go putting people down who are on SS, Medicare, etc., please do a little research. Most on those programs today are there because they were FORCED for years to pay into it instead of being able to use those monies for personal retirement. Not everyone had the big-paying jobs, either. In order for others to have those jobs you consider the better jobs, someone has to do the not-so-glamorous/not-so-profitable jobs....the dirty work. Everyone was promised that it would be there to supplement their retirements. Many were FORCED into that retirement with no choice. People on Medicare are charged a premium each month, either buy a supplemental policy to go with it or pay the 20% not covered themselves (that's only if a provider takes Medicare in the first place; otherwise you pay much more). Then you have to buy drug coverage if you want to stay around. So a free ride? I think not.

People for years planned for their retirement by contributing to personal plans that they could afford and thought they had planned well. No one could foresee just what today's prices (COL) would be because what they were "laying up for later" seemed like more than enough to last and then be able to leave the rest for the kids. Guess how that turned out for many. I can only hope you come up with some of the stuff you do because you're still young and have no idea that you will ever grow old.